SoCal Puñetazo

Introduction: SoCal Puñetazo

Have you ever gotten that THIRST so big, you just have to quench it ASAP? Spending tons of time in your kitchen, or at the market. Trying to figure out that age old question, "what is there to drink?". That will get the quench monster off your back. However, at the same time. You don't want to drink anything that is bad for you.

So I set out to come up with something that not only would quench that thirst, but is also a benefit to your health. Now don't me wrong. I'm no gym rat, or some overbearing health nut. But I am conscious of what nutrients my body needs.

So I came up with the SoCal Puñetazo that followed these simple guidelines:

1 part Sour

2 part Sweet

3 part Strong

4 part Weak

Plus a Spice

Enjoy, and let me know your feedback

Step 1: Ingredients and Hardware

The following portions will make a gallons worth goodness. Adjust portions as needed to fit your needs.

12 oz of Lime (About 12 limes)

12 - 24 oz of sugar

36 oz of Ginger Ale

48 oz of Green Tea (About 4 tea bags)

2 x 1 inch Cinnamon Sticks

Measuring cup with ounce notches

Gallon Jug

Wood Spoon

Sour

For the sour portion. You want to use freshly squeezed citrus juice. This can be juice from Limes, Lemons, Grapefruit, etc. Anything that is, well, sour. You can use Oranges, but they are not all that sour, and are more tangy in flavor. However, you can use a combination of any citrus fruits that is to your liking.

Sweet

Here, you can use any sugar that you fancy. Or sweetener. But keeping in the faith of health. I recommend using pure cane sugar, also known as brown sugar in some circles. A nice alternative to sugar can be honey or agave nectar.

Strong

For the Strong portion. Use a drink that is bitter in taste. Something that makes you go "aack" after taking a swig. I found that Ginger Ale (Canada Dry, Seagrams, Schweppes, etc), has a nice bitterness to it. Now if you are weary of using store bought Ginger Ale. You can easily brew your own simple form from fresh Ginger Roots. It's similar to brewing tea.

Weak

A weak drink would be something that is bland in taste. I found that herbal teas are a perfect choice. Preferably Black or Green Tea. But you want to use plain type teas, no special blend kinds. To get the full benefits of any tea, I highly recommend using Matcha (Powder Tea). It's a bit hard to find, and somewhat costly, but well worth it. However, regular tea bags are fine.

Spice

Lastly, the spice portion. I find Cinnamon to be a nice choice. Nutmeg can also be used, but I'm not a big fan of it outside of the Christmas holidays. However, you can use any spice that compliments the rest of the ingredients nicely, like chili powder.

Step 2: Preperation

The first thing we're going to prep, is the Limes. Here you want to cut you Limes in halves, and squeeze the juice into the measuring cup. Be sure to save the spent Limes in a separate bowl for later. Do this until you have a full 12 ounces of Lime juice. Doing this will take about 11-13 Lime to complete.

The second thing we need to prep, is the tea. Fill a pot with 48oz of water, and bring it to a nice rolling boil. Once boiling, remove from heat and steep about 4 bags of the Green Tea. Leave the bags of tea steeping until the water cools down to roughly room temperature.

That is it for the preparation portion of the recipe.

Step 3: Mixing

Now on to the fun part. Mixing it all together!

Take you jug, and pour the Lime juice in, along with the spent Limes. Adding the spent Limes allows the citrus oils in the skin to add to the flavor.

Measure and pour in the 36 oz of Ginger Ale.

Remove the tea bags, and pour the tea in.

With the wood spoon, give the mixture a quick stir. Lightly smashing the spent Limes in the process.

Next, is to pour in the sugar. About 12-24 ounces, to taste. It all depends on how much of the citrusy sour taste you like to have. 12 oz for a more sour taste, 24 oz for a sweeter taste.

Lastly, drop in the Cinnamon sticks. Or a table spoon if you are using powder form. Again, add to taste.

Give it all another quick stir, and set in the refrigerator to chill. Or if you can't wait. Pour a serving into a cup with ice.

Step 4: Conclusion

There you have it. A very refreshing and quite addicting beverage, if I do say so myself. That took all but minutes to make. Even better yet, it's extremely healthy too! During my research on wanting to know the health factors of the ingredients, before creating an Instructable. I found out that every ingredient has a major positive impact for the body. Even more so for men. If you're interested in learning more. Click on the links below. Hope you all enjoyed this. I look forward to all your comments.